AMERICAN INSTITUTE- 49 



prosperity tliat can only be perpetuated by a denial of the first 

 principles of public justice. 



While a great part of Europe down to a comparatively late pe- 

 riod was covered with forests, the finest fruits of the earth, the 

 grape, the fig, the pomegranate, the orange, the peach, almost all 

 the productions of our fields and gardens were brought first from 

 Asia. Nature had lavishly bestowed upon India arid China every 

 facility for the cultivation of the useful arts, and even of the sci- 

 ences that have a practical application. Yet a withering blight 

 arrested their progress — petrified humanity into a fossil, curious 

 indeed, singularly interesting, but still a fossil specimen of a liv- 

 ing thing susceptible of the highest cultivation, yet arrested in a 

 very early stage of its development. What was this deadly in- 

 fluence that could even perpetuate decay — was it the power of 

 a ruling priesthood 1 Let the multiplying millions of a new con- 

 tinent rejoice in their exemption. Egypt perished early; of the 

 land of the Pharaohs and of the social and political destiny of the 

 descendants of Abraham, we have no time to speak. Of the four 

 great empires that successively disappeared Greece and Rome are 

 chiefly deserving of attention. Of the Persian monarchy we may 

 remark that under the guidance of Cyrus, after the subjugation of 

 Egypt, she utterly overthrew and superseded the Assyrian em- 

 pire. At that time, her government was most excellent. Her 

 youth were all educated at Public Schools provided by the State. 

 How then after much provision for the intellectual culture of the 

 people came it to pass that Persia in her turn fell prostrate after 

 the lapse of only two centuries under the victorious arms of Al- 

 exander and 30,000 Greeks 1 A warm luxurious climate, a de- 

 parture from the simplicity of their laws and habits, the adoption 

 of foreign manners, the lust of conquest, generated by the sup- 

 posed possibility of adding to their enormous wealth ; these threw 

 into the shade the cultivation of that knowledge related to social 

 progress, such as is compatible only with peace; and, enfeebled 

 from these causes they in turn became the ready prey of the hardy 

 invader. It is for us to ponder the lesson of the governments that 

 have passed away; it may be said that their stability during the 

 period of their existence was chiefly dependant not upon the main- 

 [Am. Inst.] 4 



